Bachelor of Arts - Architecture

Portland State University

Portland State University's (PSU) bachelor's degree in Architecture is a four-year pre-professional undergraduate program that prepares students for the two-year Master of Architecture degree or for design positions in architecture firms.

PSU students are schooled in the broad tools and skills needed to work in the field, as well as the architect’s ethical responsibility to address critical environmental and social challenges in the urban setting.

The program is structured around a four-year sequence of required, thematic design studios, from freshman drawing classes to senior architectural interventions in the city. These studio experiences form the heart of the architecture degree, with rigorous hands-on instruction in drawing and making skills, design principles, and project-based learning, often in collaboration with community nonprofits and other organizations. Students' design studio coursework is enriched by required and elective lectures and seminars in architectural history, humanities, and tectonics. These seminars introduce, analyze, and discuss the complexities of the cultural and technological influences upon the making of architecture.

PSU's undergraduate Architecture program provides a clear path toward becoming a professional architect. Through the four-year undergraduate program, followed by the two-year Master of Architecture degree (also known as the “4 + 2 model”), students can launch their architecture career and go on to earn their professional license.

PSU School of Architecture is one of a small number of architectural schools accepted to participate in the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) program, which allows students to earn a NAAB-accredited degree and complete the AXP and ARE requirements for licensure concurrently.